Scattered
by GeorgiaMaeSixx
Summary: (WARNING: Contains spoilers for MKX story mode) The Kombatants are wounded, they are healing, and they are being hunted.
1. Chapter 1

Cassie heaved as she treated Jacqui's wounds from the Sky temple battle, carefully wiping her bloody fingertips onto a towel. "So are we going to discuss the fact that I single handedly saved the world? No?"

Kung Jin glared at Cassie and tutted, cleaning blood from his bow and carefully wiping the strong clean. "You needed us there, otherwise you would've wimped out." He smirked at the young blonde girl, who kicked him in the shin as a response.

Takers wrapped his wound and winced, feeling Jacqui take his hand as he gritted his teeth. He removed the bandana from around his forehead and mopped the blood splatters from his face, hearing the thoughts of the group race around in his mind like a restless heard of elephants. He wondered where the adults had got to, as he looked over at his leader in charge, Johnny Cage.

Johnny was picking at a scab on his cheek, seeing the dead larvae that D'vorah had tried to incubate in him and flicked it out of the window with a salute of the less formal kind, a middle finger. Sonya scowled at him, but nonetheless threw a gentle smile his way, and radioed in to see how everyone else was. She felt a pain shoot through her head like a piercing jolt, and took something out of her pocket, hidden from the eyes of the others. Something was still wrong.

Cassie put her hand on her mother's shoulder. "What's wrong, Ma'am?" She hated being so formal when she was around her own family, but had to stick to Special forces regulations. Sonya shrugged her off and placed the item back into her pocket.

"We need to talk to Raiden, he has the amulet and we've not heard from him since. Set the coordinates for his location, and use this as a beacon." She handed Jacqui the golden slab she had used to communicate with the now quiet thunder god. Jacqui held her side and put it into the mainframe of the chattering plane, as much on it's last legs as the whole group.

Takeda looked at Johnny as he sat down. "Have you had word from my father?"

Johnny turned around and cracked his knuckles with a pained expression. "He's resting with the Shirai Ryu, Hanzo is letting him regain his strength but he'll be back with us soon." He placed his hand onto Takeda's shoulder. "You've made him very proud."

They all relaxed a little, their wounds bleeding into the comfort of supporting bandages, as the plane spluttered and rose to the air, finding and homing in on Raiden. Cassie looked back at the Sky Temple and furrowed her eyebrows, blowing a bubble in a fresh piece of bubble gum. He should be there, she thought, he should be looking after the Jinsei.

But the Thunder God wasn't even within the reaches of Earthrealm anymore. He wasn't in Outworld, where the gunslinger Erron Black was wandering the desert with the weary Kotal Kahn. He wasn't even in Edenia. No, the Thunder God had taken leave to the Netherrealm, where he held Shinnok's head as a prize at his belt. The fallen and defeated Elder God whined in pain, unable to die but forced to be eternally separated from his body and wrapped in the clutches of torturous vengeance. Raiden walked forward, amulet attached to the material on his shoulder, his outfit now darker and his traditional straw hat now laden with golden edges and almost regal in appearance. He radiated power, his eyes burning with the anger that Shinnok had displayed just hours before.

Lui Kang, the revenant, stood up at the sight of Raiden, his eyes burning too with anger at the sight of his murderer, his betrayer. "You have no place here in Netherrealm."

Kitana took a defensive stance, crouched to the floor like a panther, awaiting attack, her steel-lined fans outstretched and eyes yellow under her fallen hairs. "You killed the one person who could've united all of our realms in peace, your people killed my mother!"

"I'm no longer going to stand by and watch Earthrealm get attacked, just watch until I'm needed, sat on the defensive sidelines." Raiden looked at both Lui Kang and Kitana, holding up Shinnok's head by his bloody headpiece. "I will seek out those who threaten Earthrealm and destroy them with no mercy, before they have chance to even think about attacking. I will show no remorse. So heed my words." He threw Shinnok's head down, it rolling and stopping at Lui Kang's feet, the elder god's mouth contorting with pain.

Kitana kicked Shinnok's head and looked up at Raiden. "So what will you do in the meantime? Everyone is recovering, everyone is…vulnerable." She pondered, folding her fans back into their pouches at her waist. The god turned back and glared at her, picking her up in a static cocoon.

"Did you not just hear me? Threaten Earthrealm and I will destroy you, Princess or not." He threw her to the floor, hearing her jaw crack as she moaned out for him to stop. "Believe me," he looked between them both, "there are fates worse than death."

The plane landed behind Raiden, who watched as Sonya Blade ran out towards him. Her voice was strained, from hours of travel and repressed worrying. "Raiden, you left before we had chance to ask what to do next, Shinnok…" Her voice faded out as her eyes took in Raiden's much more dark appearance, feeling his eyes burn into hers like a threat in themselves, and then seeing Shinnok's head as her eyes finally met with the burning rock floor. She gasped. Raiden chuckled and walked towards her, holding his hand up as an orb of electricity engulfed his entire arm, lighting up Sonya's face in a blue glow.

"Carry on as you were, General Blade, but do not step out of line, thus you will find a nasty surprise without release." He watched. "Find your people, you'll need them all." She walked backwards, covering her eyes with her arm as he disappeared in a bolt of lightning, tears at her eyes.

"We need help." She relayed in on her arm radio. "Raiden's lost it."


	2. Chapter 2 - Kenshi

**Kenshi **

Kenshi woke up to the sound of chanting. As he tried to move, his head filled with pain and he groaned as he felt someone help him up to a sitting position. Sento began to glow, whispers echoing in Kenshi's mind, alerting him to the presence of the man in front of him, Hanzo Hasashi, otherwise known as Scorpion. Immediately, Kenshi remembered the fight against Quan Chi, and stood up, only to be greeted by the feeling of nausea and a pounding headache. "Sit, I will explain." Hanzo said as he made the blind man sit, pouring out two teas.

"You were knocked out by a blast of dark energy that Quan Chi sent out. Your son and his team went after Shinnok after he was released and followed him to the Sky Temple. They fought bravely, General Blade has radioed us and told us that Shinnok has been defeated." He explained, handing Kenshi the tea. "Drink, it'll help your stomach settle."

The man rubbed at a forming cut in the nape of his neck, gritting his teeth at the sharp pains. "What did you do to Quan Chi?" He enquired, wiping away the blood that had matted to his hair. It was only a small injury, it wasn't important. At least not as important as the well being of his son, who he couldn't connect his thoughts with.

Hanzo sighed and breathed in the smoke of his tea, bringing the small cup up and taking a sip. "I got my vengeance, and he got what he was avoiding. He won't be troubling us again, unless the Elder Gods give him a purpose."

Kenshi could smell the blood that Hanzo had hidden, back in the past with Scorpion. He finished his tea and ignored the burning sensation that ran down his throat, more focused on finding out what to do next. As he went to open his mouth, a Shirai Ryu member bowed before his leader and requested to speak, which was granted. "Sub-Zero has requested a meeting with you."

Hanzo let out a deep sigh. "Did he say why?"

The Shirai Ryu member shook his head and bowed once more. Kenshi tapped his chin. "That's not a normal occurrence. And trust me, normality is something very rare nowadays." He chuckled to himself. "I thank you for your hospitality, Hanzo, but I need to go and find my son."

The man stood and swayed as he regained his balance, he held the back of his right knee and winces, before wrapping it to offer extra support. "I can ask Sonya and her team to meet you."

Kenshi nodded and walked through the temple, taking care not to hurt his knee anymore. He heard static, and fearing it may be his son trying to contact him, he focused and emptied his mind to allow Takeda through, but the static faded out into silence. He was alone with the thoughts, the whisperings of his warrior ancestors. They at once alerted him with an ear piercing screech to a presence, but Kenshi knew who it was from the crackling.

"Raiden?" He frowned, holding his hand out in front of him cautiously. But the Thunder God merely chuckled and sent Kenshi to his knees with two well shot, and tiny but painful, bolts of pure burning electricity. Sento began to glow and warn him, but Raiden dragged the enchanted sword towards his hands and wiped his hand along the blade, eyes lighting up in the reflection.

"I'm sorry to have inflicted such pain on you, Kenshi Takahashi, but I will not have you challenge me." He boomed, shutting the doors surrounding them both so that no wondering Shirai Ryu members would stumble across them. "I am not going to stand back while you, and the others, try to illicit war again. I know your past, I retain visions on your future, and I know how fierce you can be. I know about Suchin…"

Kenshi managed to speak through gritted teeth, the electricity still pulsing up through his muscles. "Don't you dare talk about Suchin."

Raiden tilted his head, the gold lining that now sat on his lap illuminating against the candles and torches on the wall. His lips curled down into a frown and he helped up the fallen warrior. "You still care a lot for her, do you not?"

"Of course I do. She was my partner, the mother of my son, she looked after Takeda until I brought him here, after…" his voice faded off as he locked himself into thought. He remembered Suchin, how she would cup his cheeks in his lowest moments, how she would stop him from worrying about his lack of sight. "I know she was beautiful, but I wish I could've seen her beauty for myself."

Raiden watched him as he heard the beating air outside and the voices of young adults, along with the self absorbed mumblings of Johnny Cage, the ex-actor. How he worked with them all these years, he couldn't work out, but now he loathed them. He felt himself boil with rage and flicked his eyes down to the amulet as they all broke down the doors. Sonya ran in and helped Kenshi as he held his head, soon followed by Takeda who looked around for Sento, that was now in Raiden's grip. "What have you done to my dad?!" Takeda yelled, not caring that he was yelling at a God.

Kenshi found himself panicking, unable to soothe his breathing as he once again found himself lost in the never ending darkness, with only the voices of the people around him, and not the guiding voices of his ancestors. He reached out for his son who was out of his grip. "Son…"

But everyone was gone in a blinding instant. In that blinding, warm flash that was followed by pouring torrential rain. He crawled towards the sound of the rain, feeling it hit his face and something crunch under his knee. He felt around and picked up what felt like broken glasses. A lump formed in his throat as he heard Shirai Ryu members run in and help him up. They were Johnny's glasses.


End file.
